serving greater chicago
Living trust and estate planning attorney in Chicago
Flat fee trust and will plans designed to protect your assets and your loved ones.
Schedule a brief consultation with an estate planning attorney to determine what plan is best for your family.
Call Now: (815) 979-5213 Schedule for Later
What our clients say
Rated a 5-star law firm on Google.
“Great service, he was very quick to respond to our need of information and legal services. Wonderful etiquette and easy to understand as he helped us navigate through legal jargon. Highly recommend!”
Melissa B.
“Couldn’t be happier with the prompt, thorough and thoughtful services provided by Jordan at Small Business Legal Solutions! Extremely professional work and made things easy for me to understand. Would highly recommend!”
Brad B.
“Jordan is amazing and is always a big help. The legal world is complicated and Jordan breaks down your issue to make all of the options and legal issues more clear, helping ease your mind.”
Molly E.
Who we help
Serving clients throughout Greater Chicago.
Individuals
Single adults, widowed spouses, and other individuals who want clear instructions and a plan for their estate.
Families
Married couples, blended families, and multigenerational households who want a coordinated plan for how assets and responsibilities are handled.
Business owners
Business owners who need their estate plan to address both personal assets and their business interests.
Parents of young kids
Parents who want to address guardianship, financial management for minors, and how and when children should receive assets.
Types of estate plans
Your estate plan should fit your goals, your family, and your assets.
Revocable living trusts
Revocable trust plans are for families who want to keep their estate out of court, and have greater control over their assets. This typically includes a revocable living trust, a pour‑over will, financial and healthcare powers of attorney, and guidance on how to align key assets with the trust.
Learn MoreElder planning
Planning for issues such as long‑term care, incapacity, and the orderly management and transfer of assets. This typically involves updated powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and trust or will structures that reflect the practical realities of aging and family support.
Learn MoreComplex estates
Planning for high net-worth clients with multiple properties, significant investment holdings, or estate tax considerations. Careful coordination of multiple aspects of the estate is key, so the overall plan is coherent and practical to administer.
Learn MoreBusiness succession plans
Focus on what happens to ownership and control of a family or closely held business if you retire, become incapacitated, or pass away. Create alignment between your estate plan and your corporate structure.
Learn MoreSpecial needs planning
Planning for beneficiaries with disabilities or other special needs so that resources are available without unnecessarily disrupting eligibility for public benefits. This often includes special needs trusts and carefully structured distributions tailored to the beneficiary’s circumstances.
Learn MoreWill based planning
Will based plans are designed for simpler situations where a formal probate process is acceptable. This typically includes a last will and testament, financial and healthcare powers of attorney, and, where appropriate, guardianship provisions for minor children.
Learn Moreour advantage
How we are different
Our clients work with us because we are different than other law firms.
Practical advice
Our advice is straightforward and easy to understand.
Bespoke planning
The strategies we use are unique to your goals.
Regular communication
Frequent communication with our clients is a top priority.
Availability
We are easy to get in touch with, so you are not waiting on answers.
Flat fee prices
Our prices are clear. No hidden fees or unexpected bills.
Family focused
We care for your family like we care for our own.
Our Process
How we create your plan
Our process is simple to understand, so you will always know what comes next.
Schedule an Estate Planning Strategy Session
Our team will talk through your situation, your goals, your options, and whether we are the right fit to help.
Asset inventory
You provide us with information about your family, assets, and estate planning goals.
Design meeting
Together, we design your unique estate plan to meet your specific needs and goals.
Draft and review
Based on your decisions from the design meeting, we draft your plan and gather feedback from you to create a final version.
Sign
You sign with our help so we can ensure the requirements of Illinois law are met.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to a few common questions families have before getting started.
How long does the estate planning process usually take?
We are committed to meeting your timeline. So we are happy to move as quickly as you would like.
However, for most of our clients who are not on a strict timeline, the process from initial meeting through signing takes 3-5 weeks, depending on how quickly decisions are made and information is provided.
How do you charge for estate planning work?
For the vast majority of circumstances we use flat fees so you know the cost up front. We will discuss the pricing options during our initial consultation.
What is an Estate Planning Strategy Session?
An estate planning strategy session is a focused meeting where we look at your family, assets, and concerns, and discuss what you want to happen if you are no longer here or able to act. We use that time to identify the key issues in your situation, outline whether a will‑based, trust‑based, or more advanced plan is appropriate, and explain what the process and fees would look like. It is a working conversation designed to give you clarity and a path forward.
What should I have ready for the Estate Planning Strategy Session?
It is helpful to have a general list of assets and any existing estate planning documents if you have them. But you do not need everything perfectly organized before we speak.
When do I need more than a basic will in Illinois?
You may need more than a basic will if you have minor children, own a business, have significant or complex assets, are in a blended family, want to reduce court involvement and administration burdens, or if you want more control over your estate even after you pass away. In those situations, trust‑based planning often gives you better control over timing, tax and non‑tax issues, and the management of assets. Many people choose trust based plans because of the increased flexibility and control they offer.
What is the difference between a will and a trust?
A will directs how who will inherit your money and property. Anything that passes under a will must generally go through the probate process.
A trust is a legal arrangement where one person (the trustee) holds and manages property for the benefit of someone else (the beneficiary), under rules set by the person who created the trust. Money and property that transfer via a trust don’t go through probate. Many plans use both, a trust for primary administration and a “pour‑over” will to catch anything not already aligned with the trust.
What is a revocable living trust in Illinois?
A revocable living trust is a special type of trust where you create a trust, manage the property yourself, and benefit from the trust. It can changed or revoked while you are alive and able to do so. After your death the trust agreement tells your successor trustee how to manage and distribute the property, often with less court involvement than a will alone.
What is probate in Illinois and how do I avoid it?
Probate is the court‑supervised process for administering a deceased person’s estate. This includes your executor paying any outstanding debts and distributing your assets according to the instructions in your will.
Probate is public, takes time, and involves formal procedures, which some families are comfortable with and others prefer to minimize. Proper use of trusts, beneficiary designations, joint ownership, and other tools can reduce what passes through probate, but those steps need to be planned and implemented in advance.
What is normally included in an estate plan in Illinois?
A typical estate plan in Illinois will include some combination of a will, financial power of attorney, healthcare power of attorney, and advance healthcare directive or living will. Many clients also use a revocable living trust to address administration, incapacity, and probate concerns, along with related documents to align key assets with that trust. The specific mix depends on your assets, family structure, and objectives.
Let’s discuss your goals
Schedule a consultation with an attorney to discuss your goals, and how we can help you get there.
Schedule a ConsultationCall us Today